Theodore



T. G. SELLECK.

CHARGING TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20 19!!)- Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

UNKTED srars an FFTCE.

THEODORE G. SELLECK, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T DEERE & COMPANY, OF

MOLINE, ILLINOIS, A COEPGRAIION OF ILLINOIS.

CHARGING-TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Application filed January 20, 1919. Serial No. 272,163.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known thatI, THEODORE G. SELLECK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Charging-Trucks,

of which the following is a specification,

. reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In connection with the carbonizing of sheets or plates it has been discovered that for some uses such sheets or plates are best introduced into the heating chamber of the furnace in a vertical position and separated from each other, and there left in such position so that after they have been subjected to a predetermined amount of heat the desired carbonizing material may be placed in the chamber and fill in the spaces between the parallel rows of sheets or plates thus standing on their edges and the spaces between the side walls of the chamber and the outermost sheets or plates. It is the object of my invention to provide a charging truck that will carry a plurality of sheets or plates on edge and separated from each other, and that, after being moved into the heating chamber, can be readily withdrawnfrombeneath its load and leave the sheets or plates on the floor of said chamber and in the same edgewise-and separated positions as when loaded on the truck. This object 1 accomplish as illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter described. That, which I believe to be new and desire to cover by this application will be set forth in the claims 7 In the drawings Figure 1 is a planview of my improved truck partly-loaded with a number of sheets or plates arranged inthe manner in which they are to be left on the floor of afurnace heating chamber;

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the partlydrawings,1010 indicate the side bars of gthe truck which at their forwa d en s we connected together by a cross-bar 11, which, as shown, is riveted thereto. At intervals sald side bars are also secured together by braces 12, the diflerent braces being secured in place preferably by riveting to the side bars. Near their rear ends the side bars are further connected together in the con struction shown by a cross-tie 13 on which is mounted a spacing pipe 1 1, the ends of which will abut against the inner faces of the side bars. 15 indicates a plurality of rollersfour being employed in the con struction shown upon which the truck frame is removably supported. The ends of these frame-supporting rollers are suitably journaled in plates 16 secured to the inner faces of the side bars 10. These supporting rollers, it will be noted, extend only slightly below the side bars as it is desirable not to have the frame of the truck raised much more than is necessary to just clear the floor, thereby permitting the load of sheets or plates to be better discharged on the floor of the heating chamber, as hereinafter described. Extending across the truck frame is another series of rollers, four in number in the construction shown, each one of the latter series of rollers being indicated by 17. These rollers 17, with the exception of the rearmost one, have their ends journaled in plates 18 secured to the inner faces of the side bars, and the rearmost one has its ends journaled in the rearmost plates 16, which last-named plates, it will be noted, are materially larger than the others, being made so merely for convenience in construction. This second-mentioned set of rollers 17 project slightly above the framesupporting set of rollers, and theserollers 17 are provided for the purpose of affording a support for the several sheets or plates which the truck is intended to carry. As stated, the sheets or plates are held on edge on the truck and, as will be well understood, the supporting rollers 17 upon which they rest permit them to be moved longltudmally of the truck with rapidity and ease. A number of sheets or plates are shown in the drawings and are there indicated by the numeral 19.

To maintain them in edgewise position on the track I provide a plurality of series of swing fingers 20-two such series being employed in the construction shown. In the construction shown the inner end of each finger 20 has formed on its lower or inner end an eye, and in each eye is clamped by a set bolt 21 a short sleeve 22; lhese sleeves 22 are rotatably mounted on the shafts 23, the ends of such shafts being supported in suitable plates or brackets secured to the inner faces of the side bars 10. The sleeves 22 are of such length that when set in place end to end, as clearly shown in Fi g. 1, they serve as means for holding the fingers 011 each shaft spaced apart suliiciently to properly receive between them the sheets or plates, and by this construction each finger is adapted to be swung into and out of operative position independentlywhieh is of advantage when loading the truck from one side distinguished from sh ring the sheets or plates into place from the open rear end of the truck.

Positioned adjacent to and slightly above each shaft 23 is a cross-bar let which will act as a stop for the fingers on the adjacent shaft when such fingers have been turned to a substantially vertical position. By r ason of the provision of such stops it is evident that the fingers can not be swung too far forward to prevent acting holding and separating means for the sheets or plates. The fingers of the two series are, of course, arranged alike so that the spaces between the fingers of one series and those between the fingers of the other series are in alinement for the proper reception of sheets or plates. In order to afford proper support for the outermost sheets or plates I provide other pivoted fingers, indicated by 25,two

at each side of the truck frame inthe construction shown. Each of these fingers :5 when down rests in. a recess cut in the edge of one of the side bars 10, and each is pivoted in place at 26. The enlarged end where such pivot 26 passes through is, as shown, located in a correspondingly enlarged recess in the side bar, and which, by reason of shape, while allowing the finger to swing down in a rearwardly direction so to be practically flush with the upper edge of the side bar, will prevent the finger when turned upward from passing much, if any, beyond a substantially vertical position. Thus these outer fingers, like the fingers 20, can not be swung forward out of a substantially vertical position, although all of the fingers can be readily turned down into inoperative aosition when the truck is being unloaded, as will appear more clearly when the manner of unloading the truck is described.

27 indicates a spreader device, a plurality of which are preferably employed, for engaging the plates, and, like the fingers hereinbefore referred to, holding such plates on edge and spaced apart. They are placed on with them.

the sheets or plates after the truck has been loaded and are provided for the purpose of maintaining the sheets or plates in their vertical spaced-apart position after the truck has been withdrawn from under them. Each of these spreaders combines a cross bar with a series of teeth depending therefrom, in the spaces between which teeth the sheets or plates extend, as willbeunderstood, and it is evident that when a plurality of these devices 27 are in engagement with the sheets or plates such sheets or plates will rest as a unit squarely upon the floor of the heating chamber with properly maintained spaces between them for the reception of the carbonizing material that'will be employed. The cross-bar of each of these spreader devices is shown as provided with an integral eye 28 into which a hook-shaped implement may be engaged to disengage the spreader from the series of sheets or plates.

In operation a truck loaded with sheets or plates in the manner stated will be rolled into the heating chamberof a furnace, the floor of which, of course, will be one. love with the floor upon which the truck was loaded. The truck will be backed in and when wholly within the chamber a bar or some other suitable holding means will be forced against the ends of the sheets or plates that lie adjacent to the doorway through which the truck was moved, and thereafter the truck will be pulled out of the chamber from beneath the sheets or plates, such movementofthe truck being effected, in the construction shown, by the engagement of a hooked rod with an eye suitably secured to the cross-bar 11 of the frame. As the withdrawalbf the truck commences the friction of the sheets or plat-es against the various pivoted fingers will cause such fingers to turn down into the position represented in Fig. 3 so that they can offer no obstruction to the free separation of the truck from its load by reason of the spreader devices coming infcontact If for any reason, however, they should not be turned down before a spreader device comes in contact with them the pressure eXertedby the spreader device against them would cause them to turn down out of the way. As the'truck is pulled out from under its load thesheets or plates will gradually tilt downward over the rear load-supporting roller of the truck and come gently in contact witlrthe floor of the chamber, and inasmuch as the drop of the load from thetruck to the-floor, when the truck is wholly removechis but a short one the jar or shock to the sheets or plates will not be such as to disturb the position given them when loading. upon the truck and they Wlll, therefore, remain separated and on edge and securely S0,l16ld by the spreader devices so thatthe carbonizing ma terial that is to be thereafter applied to them through an opening in the wall ofthe chamber can be distributed evenly and effectively and in contact with the surfaces of both sides of each sheet or plate.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

'1. In a furnace-charging truck, the com bination with a frame comprising a pair of side harsconnected together, of rolling supporting means for the frame, other rolling supports for the load on the truck to rest upon, and a plurality of hinged fingers spaced a'distance-apart for maintaining in spaced relation a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge on the truck.

2. In a furnace-charging truck, the combination with a frame comprising a pair of side bars connected together, of rolling supportingmeans for the frame, other rolling supports for the load on the truck to rest upon, a :plurality of hinged fingers spaced a distance apart for maintaining in spaced relation a plurality of, sheets or plates standing on edge on the truck, and means for preventing said fingers from erative position. 7

SuIn a furnace-chargingtruck, the combination with a frame comprising a pair of side bars connected together, of rolling supporting means for the frame, other roll ing supports for the load on the truck to rest upon, a plurality of hinged fingers spaced a distance apart for maintaining in spaced relation a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge on the truck, and a cross-piece extending between the side bars of the frame and adjacent to the hinged endsof the fingers, said cross-piece acting as a stop to prevent downward movement of the fingers in one direction.

4; In a furnace-charging truck, the comltlation with a frame comprising a pair'of side bars connected together, of rolling supporting means for the frame, and a plurality of upstanding separated fingers pivotally connected with the frame for receiving between them a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge, said fingers being automatically turned down out of operative position when the truck is moved relatively to its load in one direction.

6. In a furnace-charging truck, the. combination with a frame comprising a pair of side bars connected together, of rolling supporting means for the frame, a shaft supported between said side bars, and a plural ity of upstanding separated fingers having lLiterally-extending hubs rotatably mounted 1 on the shaft and said fingers being adapted to receive between them a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge, said hubs being adapted to rock and turn the fingers out of operative position when the truck is moved relatively to its load in one direction, said turning of the hubs being caused by frictional engagement of the fingers with the sheets or plates as said relative movement occurs.

7. In a furnace-charging truck, the combination with a frame comprising a pair of side bars connected together, of rolling sup porting means for the frame, a shaft supported between said side bars, and a plurality of upstanding separated fingers having laterally extending hubs rotatably mounted on the shaft and said fingers being adapted to receive between them a plurality swinging down in one direction out of opof sheets or plates standing on edge, said hubs and their attached fingers being adapted to turn to swing said fingers downward out of operative position toward one end of the truck when the truckis moved relatively to its load in one direction, and means for positively preventing turning of the fingers toward the other end of the truck.

8. In a furnace-charging truck, the combination with a frame comprising a pair of side bars connected together, of a plurality of rollers journaled in said side bars and acting to movably support the truck, other rollers also journaled in said side bars and extending above said first-named rollers and forming a supporting means for the load on the truck to rest upon, and a plurality of series of hinged fingers arranged transversely of the truck, the fingers of each series being similarly spaced apart for maintaining in spaced relation a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge on said second series of rollers.

9. In a furnace-charging truck, the combination with a frame comprising a pair of side bars connected together, of a plurality of rollers journaled in said side bars and acting to movably support the truck, other rollers also journaled in said side bars and extending above said first-named rollers and forming a supporting means for the load on the truck to rest upon, a plurality of series of hinged fingers arranged transversely of the truck, the fingers of each series being similarly spaced apart for maintaining in spaced relation a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge on said second series of rollers, and means for preventing said fingers from swinging down toward one end ofthe truck but permittingsuch swinging toward the other end thereof when the truck is moved relatively to its load.

10. Means for depositing in the heating chamber of a furnace a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge, said means comprising in combination a truck provided with means for holding said sheets or plates in spaced relation, and other means co6peratingwith said holding means on the truck, said other means engaging over the edges of the sheets or plates and maintaining them in said spaced relation after thewithdrawal of the truck.

11. Means for depositing-in the heating chamber of a furnace a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge, said means comprising in combination a truck provided with meansfor holding said sheets-or plates in spaced relation; and-a device carried by the sheets or plates while on the truck and cooperating to hold the sheets on plates spaced apart and preserving them asa unit in such condition after the withdrawal of the truck.

12. Means for deposlting in the heating.

chamber of a furnace a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge, said means comprising a truck having a plurality of swing swinging out of sufiportingposition of the fingers and after t e truck has been withdrawn from beneath its'load.

13. Means for depositing in the heating chamber of a furnace a plurality of sheets or plates standing on edge, said means comprising in combination a truck provided with means for holding said sheets or plates in spaced relation, and a device carried by the sheets or plates while on the truck and cooperating to hold the sheets or plates spaced apart and preserving them as a unit in such condition after the withdrawal of the truck, said member consisting of a toothed bar, theteeth ofsaid bar extending down against the sides of the sheetsor plates.

THEODORE G. SELLEGK. 

